One Hundred Journeys
by PunkWolfIncarnate
Summary: A collection of ficlets not long and plotty enough to be considered their own story. May contain doses of 393.
1. Middles

**_Ficlet for my Son Goku (Seiten Taisei) claim at fanfic100. Contains minor spoilerz for the seventh volume of the Reload manga._**

_Disclaimer: _Consider this ficlet DISCLAIMED.

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**Middles**

_by PunkWolf_

He'd seen Goku in rabid monkey mode a few times before now. He'd seen the crazy long hair, crazy sharp teeth (felt them as well, mind you) and the crazy youkai ears. He just figured it was Goku in 'demon' mode. Like Hakkai, but shorter and more annoying.

But Seiten Taisei is a demon just as much as Goku is human. And no human can eat that much food and not die of some kinda calorie poisoning.

It just never occurred to Gojyo just how much of an exception Goku was.

Until he'd seen the monkey dislodge rocks from the ground through sheer power alone. The power of the goddamn earth. He'd seen the sky swirl to black above them as the slit-eyed beast readied for the attack. Until he saw Goku snatch Hakkai's chi blast out of the air and send it careening back to them. Until he saw Goku catch Gato's bullet between his teeth.

But still... this was just Goku gone berserk. He'd pulled crazy shit in the desert, too.

But in the desert, Goku's clothes hadn't been in tatters.

As the monster roared and bellowed above the din of the storm, Gojyo's eye was drawn to the symbol upon Seiten Taisei's stomach.

Now, all full-blooded youkai had markings upon their bodies. It was just another one of those little quirks that made demons different from humans, but they were all relatively meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Granted, some goons took their mark and made it their personal crest and other shit like that, but really, it was as insignificant as humans' birthmarks.

Normal, full-blooded youkai didn't have the symbol for chaos splashed across their bellies.

This was when it truly hit Gojyo that Goku was some seriously hot shit in the grand scheme of things.

Fear. Chaos. Destruction... Creation. These are what Hakkai once told him Seiten Taisei represents, and while his markings are a clear prelude to this, it's his performance that makes sure you'll never forget it. It's the cleaving of claws, the gnash of fangs, the howling of wind and voice, that make you a believer.

For only one with the power to bring the Heavens to their knees is branded with the eternal symbol for chaos. Only Seiten Taisei, with the power of the very planet at his disposal, has the might to rend fate from its course and rewrite the very fabric of life itself.

And as Hakkai moves to remove his limiters, Gojyo doesn't move to stop him at first, in the midst of his uncharacteristic awe of the scene before them.

And the wind swirls and Seiten Taisei bellows and the only one who can bring the monkey back is nowhere to be found. And Gojyo wonders how the hell this is even possible.

**_Well, that was fun. Hope you enjoyed your stay._**


	2. Beginnings

**_My first ficlet for my Son Goku (Seiten Taisei) claim at fanfic100._**

_Disclaimer: _Consider this ficlet DISCLAIMED.

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**Beginnings**

_by PunkWolf_

The song of spring was in the air that morning. Birds and smaller animals chattering away at the silence…

...until _he_ ventured up their corner of the forest.

All feral instinct, wrapped up in a shell of false humanity. The white noise was silenced as soon as he happened upon the secluded grove.

Perched in the canopy overlooking the meadow, his vigilant eyes caught every movement; honed ears caught every sound. His prey was under no delusions. They knew he saw all and heard all, and that there was nothing they could do to escape his will. A god amongst humans… a demon among gods.

The beast crouched low against his branch as he felt a larger, warmer aura enter the vicinity. It was not a faint glow like the small animals he typically hunted, nor was it the soft heat of a deer or mid-sized hunter he shared his land with. No, this was a new creature, the likes of which he'd never felt. The strong aura of power and intelligence, it didn't falter or flicker like the animals he'd grown up hunting. It never wavered in its self-assuredness. It had grown foolish as it aged.

Leaving the silent clearing behind, he made his way toward the source of this new aura, intent on sating his curiosity.

Trees and other landscape flew by as he sped through the forest, weaving around the trunks and branches. In no time, the aura filled his senses like nothing had before. He mentally adjusted to the new intrusion, and his muscles relaxed as it dimmed in his mind's eye. But even with the lessened aura, he could hear the creature's breathing. And it's heartbeat. A great deal of blood flowed through this creature. He could smell it swarming beneath skin plastered with a nauseatingly heavy scent.

With a final leap, he allowed himself to descend from the trees and land heavily upon the forest floor, balance never wavering. He heard a distinct hitch in the even breathing.

He didn't have time to examine his find, for a moment later, it had fled… or begun to flee. This creature moved slower than an expectant doe. In mild amusement, he watched as it stumbled through the thick underbrush. When it was a hundred yards away, the beast sprang once more into the treetops and followed it at a leisurely pace. There was no threat in this weak little being, so trailing it would provide a fun, new way to pass the time.

Ever so often, it would glance fearfully over its shoulder, and seeing nothing, would slow down just a bit. Its pursuer was amused by its ignorance and false sense of security.

Not an hour later, more glowing auras began to reach them. He had no doubt that the creature couldn't feel them, but they were there, growing in intensity as they pressed on. Suddenly, the forest ceased, and he followed the creature to the edge of the trees, watching as it made its way toward…

Hundreds of creatures just like it.

It was screaming and flailing its arms wildly as it approached the nearest person. Fear was easily spotted in the eyes of the latest creature and both began making animated noises that he couldn't understand. Together, his prey and its companion continued into the forest of rigid lines and shapes, all looking impossibly alike.

He let them go, but he slowly felt the auras of the area shift. From the warm, calm colors, to a violent red making his head throb. He'd never felt an aura such as this… so powerful and so full of… he couldn't even place it. Malice? Cruelty? His head spun.

Red began to fill his vision as his prey returned, but with its pack in tow and objects in hand. The sudden need to kill overwhelmed him like never before.

His would be attackers didn't understand that their malevolence was leaving impressions upon this mind that would have repercussions centuries from now, when three likewise tainted men would face off with the very creature they hated and loved the most.

But it was too late to undo their actions born of ignorance.

He wanted to feel these creatures dying in his grasp as he ripped them apart in every way possible. He didn't understand this new feeling of unadulterated bloodlust…

Because Seiten Taisei had never known hatred before now. And the influence of the humans' dirty souls proved more potent than the earth's purity.

**_Dramatic and pretencious. Oh well. I heart Seiten Taisei no matter how had it is to write a fic solely about him._**


	3. Ends

_This is old, and I'm not bothering to go back and edit it again. If there's mistakes, well that sucks. _

_If you've by chance read this before, I'm really sorry for wasting your time. If not, well, it's probably not as slashy as you'd like it to be._

**_Disclaimer: _**I don't own. Anything.

**Ends**

The shadows fell around the priest as he slid through the maze of trees. Damn the dark. He couldn't see a thing. All he could do was listen for any signs of...

A twig snapped somewhere behind him and he whirled to face his slippery opponent.

"Damn you! Come out!" He bellowed when he saw no one.

He was answered by a silence deeper than any he'd ever recognized before now. He could practically feel the air rippling with the sheer force of his attacker's youkai energy as he moved through the night. It was a cripplingly powerful aura. A demonic aura like he'd never known before he'd met this creature.

He began creeping once again through the trees, trying to find an open space where he would stand a better chance against this predator.

An omnipresent growl echoed through the area, but fuck if Sanzo could tell where it came from.

The monster was angry, and he had every right to be. Sanzo'd shot it once in the leg after all. It had slipped into the shadows and for the first time in his life, Sanzo truly felt like prey. He was being hunted.

"_Sanzo!"_

He could feel Goku calling for him in his mind once more, and hated that he was helpless to do jack shit about it. He was running for his life, Hakkai and Gojyo having already fallen prey to the beast's claws.

Another crack, but from above this time, like the breaking of a tree branch.

"Shit." Sanzo cursed as he quickened his pace. The atmosphere pulsed with the presence of his attacker, hidden by the darkness.

He could feel his heartbeat pounding against the wall of his chest. His tuned senses could feel every breath of wind around him, and every sensation from within. His nerves were wired and his adrenalin pumped. Jumping at shadows had a whole new meaning.

Sweat started to bead on his brow, and he spun so his back was against the closest tree. He panted into the foreboding silence, listening to Goku's troubled calls within his mind.

But despite Goku's persistent calling, the saru was not here. Sanzo was alone. Alone with this creature. This creature that wanted to kill him.

It had taken all of three hits to dispose of Hakkai and Gojyo, but luckily both had been breathing when Sanzo last checked. However, if those two practiced demon fighters hadn't managed to hold their ground against their latest opponent, how could Sanzo be expected to? He had limited experience in hand to hand combat, and a gun was useless within the dense forest, and that overpowering aura filled every nook and cranny, making him unable to pinpoint his assailant through sense alone.

Another growl, closer this time, to Sanzo's left. And the priest was off again, dashing through the underbrush, tripping every so often in his haste.

A malicious cackle thundered from behind him, breaking the daunting silence, but providing no relief. A brief glance back provided Sanzo with a glimpse of a shadow-cloaked figure tailing him through the trees.

How many times had Sanzo woken up in a cold sweat after being haunted by nightmares similar to this? How many times had Goku woken up as well, distressed by his lover's quickened breathing and distraught aura? He'd never told Goku of these dreams, pride preventing him from revealing any sign of fear, even to the person closest to him. He knew Goku hadn't believed a word of his excuses, but that did nothing to push him toward confiding in his saru.

Sanzo gasped as a solid root appeared out of nowhere and sent him tumbling to the earthen floor. With a muffled grunt, his body collided with the unforgiving ground. Lightening flashed, illuminating the silhouettes of treetops. Thunder sounded seconds later, and rain began to pour. Sanzo's heartbeat accelerated in fear as his eyes narrowed.

This was an unnatural rain.

A storm summoned by a creature of god-like strength.

Another flash of lightening, accompanied by vicious claws raking down Sanzo back.

"Gah!" Sanzo turned over quickly to see Seiten Taisei looming over him. Slitted golden eyes peered down at him through damp brown bangs, lips curved in a maniacal grin, showing off the Sage's gruesome fangs. Sanzo shuddered and his eyes widened in alarm. Goku's voice had been silenced.

The beast growled, leer fading gradually into a frown. Seiten Taisei crouched, sniffing Sanzo dubiously. A clawed hand grasped Sanzo's calf through his tattered robes as the creature examined his cornered prey. Broken thoughts raced through Seiten Taisei's mind: It had run. There was no need to kill it quickly; it put up no fight... except for the leg wound. Seiten Taisei growled. This human was dangerous when it chose to be. But right now, it was submitting nicely.

Despite Seiten Taisei's calmer attitude, Sanzo knew he wasn't in the clear yet. Not only was he lacking his gun, dropped after he'd shot the monster in the leg, but the priest was just too riled at the moment to remember the words he needed to replace Goku's limiter.

All he had was the sutra.

Mind made up, Sanzo took a breath to begin the chant, but as if reading his mind, Seiten Taisei's grip on his leg clamped down ruthlessly, claws piercing the skin they encountered. Concentration broken, Sanzo cried out.

And suddenly, Goku's voice returned full force.

"_Sanzo!!!"_

Seiten Taisei's face screwed up in annoyance. Could he hear Goku's cries, too? A second later, the heretic had leapt back up into the trees.

Panting heavily, Sanzo rose shakily to his feet. Wherever Seiten Taisei had gone off to, Sanzo knew he'd be back. The blond began stumbling quickly back toward where they'd broken camp for the night, pain shooting up his leg with every step.

Someone had turned the sound back on. Wind howled violently through the trees and leaves rustled against each other in the heavy onslaught of rain. Each of Sanzo's steps echoed in the blustery weather. He grumbled as his drenched bangs fell constantly into his eyes, making it even harder to navigate the maze of forest. And now that life had returned to the landscape, he couldn't hear any sound signifying Seiten Taisei's approach. And that incredible aura still swallowed all attempts at pinpointing the source of his fear.

Turning back a few times, he'd seen his pursuer tailing him a good fifty meters behind, leaping from tree branch to tree branch in pursuit of his prey, for prey was all Sanzo knew he was to this creature.

His true lover was screaming bloody murder inside his head, and though it was slightly comforting to hear Goku's voice, it was giving his keeper a splitting headache.

After banging his shoulders against numerous tree trunks, Sanzo burst into the clearing where Hakkai and Gojyo still lay unconscious. Hakuryu kyu'd from where he'd been left parked.

Venturing farther into the space, Sanzo was aware that he didn't have long until Seiten Taisei entered the scene. Quickly, Sanzo piled Gojyo and Hakkai's bodies in Jeep's back seat. A low growl emanated from the brush next to the clearing. Sanzo hopped swiftly into Hakuryu's driver seat.

"Get us outta here!" He roared at the dragon. Immediately, Jeep's tires were squealing for purchase on the wet ground. A second later, they were launched into motion, flying down the dirt road.

The transformed dragon squeaked crossly at his impromptu driver, knowing exactly who they were leaving behind.

"Shut up, you stupid car! You don't really think we'll be able to lose him, do...?" Sanzo was cut off by a thud as something heavy landed upon Jeep's hood, prompting a terrified shriek from the vehicle itself.

Glancing up, Sanzo found himself gazing straight into his lover's eyes. No. Seiten Taisei's eyes. Golden eyes glared down at him, and the screaming within his head became deafening. Sanzo could no longer fight the urge to cover his ears.

"Shut up!"

Seiten Taisei paused, eyes widening slightly, but the voice was not dimmed. The monster growled, and Goku's screaming finally began to die down. But Sanzo was not relieved.

"What are you doing to him, you piece of shit?!" The blond shouted above the storm's ruckus.

Seiten Taisei growled again, golden eyes narrowing menacingly. The voice was almost gone now. And Sanzo began to panic, in fear of losing his charge altogether.

"Damn you!" He roared before launching forward and tackling the berserker.

A deep yelp from Seiten Taisei was all the monster offered in reaction to Sanzo's attack. The priest was straddling the beast's hips, watching his foe with guarded eyes, distraught at the voice that wavered within his mind; softer and quiet one minute, fervent and thunderous the next. The fluctuation was making him nauseous.

Meanwhile, Seiten Taisei lay sprawled beneath his keeper, upper body propped upon wiry forearms. His eyes were slightly glazed and his face alternated between frustrated and menacing expressions almost faster than the eye could see. Then it dawned on Sanzo.

There was a full-fledged war going on inside the saru's head.

Dammit, why him?

Why had he had to fall in love with a damn demon whatever-the-hell-Goku-was? Why? Why'd he take the obviously harder route when accepting the boy's affections, after turning away so many others vying for the same thing? Why had his master selected him of all people to teach those damn lessons to? Muichimotsu? Fuck, he didn't even know what the concept meant anymore, and he was beginning to wonder if he ever had.

But something very loud and annoying inside Sanzo's head had been telling him a long time, that this was just the way things were. That he hadn't had a choice from the start. His master was doomed to dying before his pupil's eyes. The pupil was cursed to walked the earth alone until a voice began calling from nowhere. The voice was always meant to be found. It had been fated since the gods sealed that power away. And Sanzo was destined to be forever glued to a bottomless pit of a monkey whose heretical eyes he both loved and hated.

Loved for their vibrancy and life that never failed to lighten Sanzo's mood in even the smallest way.

Hated for what they signified. For what they hid inside his lover.

A monster.

A beast.

A heretic who was both never meant to be born, and destined to walk the earth by Sanzo's side.

The war waged on within the creature's mind, as two very different, yet forever the same, entities battled for control. One wanting to rip out the sun's throat, one wanting to curl into the sun's chest and sob for all his heart was worth, mourning the plague that was forever trying to make mince-meat out of his friends.

Suddenly, golden eyes cleared, and snapped up to meet Sanzo's. Distinctly round pupils gazed back at him, and for a second, Sanzo ceased breathing.

But in a flash, the clarity was gone, and Seiten Taisei's bloodlust was restored. However, the demon still looked rather dazed and preoccupied, locking Goku away within the recesses of their mind once again. The voice began to fade out...

Like a wave breaking upon the rough rocks of a shore, the words returned to Sanzo, his own blink of clarity startling him into action.

In an almost violent motion, Sanzo's hand snapped up to Seiten Taisei's forehead, sure to leave a bruise when everything was said and done. The words poured from his lips purely upon reflex, and the ease at which they came to him now aggravated Sanzo. As always, a lifetime too late.

As expected, Goku's form hovered in wide-eyed shock for no more than a few moments before the heretic collapsed, unconscious, upon Sanzo's own worn form. But while Goku began to doze atop his savior, Sanzo's heart still raced, charged with leftover adrenalin.

Fear still flooded his veins like a drug, making his nerves unable to ease-off and his muscles remain taut with apprehension.

Sanzo's mind understood that, for now, it was over.

But his body was a little late picking up on the fact.

He lay back upon the cold, hard, earth, breathing coming easier to him by the second. As his back attempted to relax upon the stable ground, he felt his spine groan in protest, each and every kink crying out, so that it took him a whole five minutes before his muscles gave into his will. It still felt like an elephant was sitting upon his heaving chest, but he didn't care.

He was alive once again.

But he wasn't alone as he feared he would have been; as he always fears will become of him. For it isn't Seiten Taisei's claws he fears. No. It's the uncertainty and pain of his and Goku's future that has him breaking down inside.

For this may be the end of the battle, but the war is far from over.

**_Owari desuyo._**


End file.
